I see in the FAQ for FCs that "white" is the Factory Amp Turn on/off. Should I be hooking my aftermakret amp's "Remote" wire up to this? I only see one wire that would qualify as "white" and it has small bands around it... either brown or goldenrod yellow...

The previous owner had an aftermarket radio setup that got stolen, there is a solid bright orange wire that is below the ignition, should I hook the remote wire up to this?

Thanks & Pardon my Newbary,
iSP33D-for-J3SUS

 

If you are adding an aftermarket radio to the system and retaining the factory amps (not recommended) then yes you need to hook up that wire.

If you have removed the factory amps, you do not use that wire unless you are retaining the stock radio.

 

I'm not using the factory amps but I haven't gotten myself around to removing them, yet. So do I connect the remote wire to the white wire or the orange?

iSP33D-for-J3SUS

 

You only use the white wire if you are using the factory amps.

 

OK, but I want my aftermarket amp to turn off when the car is off, so it doesn't drain my battery. What wire should I connect my aftermarket amp's remote wire to in order for this to happen?

iSP33D-for-J3SUS

 

okay, explain your system (which you should do before in your first post),.. are you using the stock deck with an aftermarket amp???

 

OK, yeah, sorry:

KENWOOD Aftermarket Head Unit
JBL Aftermarket Amp
1 MTX Sub
2 aftermarket front speakers (FOCAL)
2 Aftermarket rear speaker (PIONEER)

I'm not going to be using the stock amps.

OK, so ignore the fact that I suck at making wiring diagrams, here is how I have it setup presently.



Totally new to car stereo stuff, so I'm pretty confused.

iSP33D-for-J3SUS

 

So you don't use the Mazda factory white, and run your Kenwoods head units amp turn on lead to the JBL amp's turn on input.

 

Oh ok... I was under the impression that I ran the turn off to something related to the factory amp or ignition. Nevermind, I'll go try that and see how it goes.

Thanks,
iSP33D-for-J3SUS

 

OK, now, everything seems to be going OK but I have two "12 Volt" wires coming from my kenwood, while my Dash harness only has the LightBlue & Red 12 Volt.

One 12 Volt is labeled "Battery/Memory" the other, "Ignition/Acc"

I'm guessing I hook my remote wire from my amp to the "Ignition/Acc." 12 volt and my Dash harness 12 volt to "Battery/Memory". Is this correct?

Thanks for all the help,
iSP33D-for-J3SUS

 

Now that your problem is solved, I'm gonna post here rather than make a new thread :P

Semi related question for you Icemark. Do you have a good spot to mount a 4 channel amp? I can't really see sticking it anywere except mounted to the floor in the back. A bin seems like it would get really toasty with an amp in there, and 4 channel amp is a bit to big to hide somewhere. Would the spare tire spot be decent? That would involve a ton of extra wiring to bring it back to the front speakers.

The deck I would get would probably have 4 outputs w/ internal amp's but I don't want to have to rely on those amps unless I have to, or should I just not worry about it? The speakers will be Boston Acoustic Components, a 4 channel Alpine amp, rear speakers and deck still to be determined. I've got the component speakers installed already, just running off of the factory amps which is working for now, but isn't the greatest.

 

I'm not Icemark but, depending on how much you run the amp, you might not get so toasty in a bin. Or if you do, install a small computer fan, or two.

Personally, I'm mounting my amp inside a bin with the lid off.

I imagine underneath a seat would get just as hot as inside a bin...

iSP33D-for-J3SUS

P.S. I just hooked my stereo up and I have no power.

Time to re-evaluate!

 

Well I agree with the bin being a poor choice (the bins are really only good for storing extra oil or a base ball cap in).

What I generally prefer myself is against the wall right behind the seats. Mounted vertically there is plenty of air flow, out of sight for most theives and that area is generally wasted space anyway. Of course if you are the Steal Me type, and prefer showing your amps off, you may not like that location.

and as far as radio's internal power... remember that the advertised power of a in dash radio is almost always peak power. While most amps are marketed with RMS power. So a radio that puts out 50 x4 watts peak is really only putting out around 15 watts RMS a channel.

Compare that to a amp that puts out 50 watts RMS and 120 watts peak.

Of course.. the real worry is distortion... distortion not too much or too little power is what blows speakers.